It has long been believed that there are only four basic tastes - salty, sweet, sour and bitter. In 2009, the four flavors were diversified with a fifth, which was called umami (the taste of high-protein substances), which in Japanese means “pleasant taste”.
Now, scientists from the University of Oregon claim that there is a sixth taste that is missing from the general list. In their opinion, complex carbohydrates, such as starch, have their own taste and should be distinguished into a separate category of taste sensations.
To be clear, complex carbohydrates are made up of sugar molecules that are assembled like pearls in a necklace. Foods rich in complex carbohydrates are a vital source of vitamins, minerals and fiber for the human body.
According to experts, when complex carbohydrates are broken down by saliva, their chains break down into simple sugars. The latter were supposed to give a sweet taste. But American researchers have suggested that this is not entirely true. According to them, carbohydrates have their own unique taste.
The researchers decided to test their theory: they asked volunteers to try different solutions of carbohydrates, and then asked what they tasted like.
Study leader Dr. Juyun Lim told New Scientist, “The subjects described the taste as 'starchy.' For example, Asians noted that it tasted like rice, while Europeans thought it tasted like bread or pasta. Some said it tasted like it would taste like flour."
Then the scientists gave the participants in the experiment a substance that blocks the receptors in the tongue that recognize sweet taste. And even after this "innovation", the subjects still distinguished the "flour" taste.
According to scientists, the results of the experiment show that a person can taste complex carbohydrates before they break down into sugar molecules. This conclusion gives the right to state that complex carbohydrates have their own taste. In addition, the results of the study indicate that a person's ability to recognize taste is more complex than previously thought.
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Dr. Michael Tordoff, a psychobiologist at the Monell Center for Chemical Senses, notes that "many people think there are only five flavors, but others think the list is incomplete." By the way, the researcher himself is trying to understand whether calcium has a separate taste.
It is worth noting that this is not the first attempt to add a sixth item to the list. For example, earlier scientists from Purdue University in the United States suggested that fats called "oleogustus" (oleogustus) have their own unique taste.
However, any new taste cannot immediately get off the bench to the main list. The new "player" must meet strict criteria: have its own set of receptors in the language, be recognizable and cause a physiological response.
Researchers from the University of Oregon, in order to prove their case, have yet to find the receptors on the tongue that are responsible for the "starchy" taste. Scientists intend to continue working in this direction.
Now experts say that products with a "starchy" taste have one weighty advantage - the benefits for humans. Starch, for example, is a valuable source of energy. Accordingly, in the process of evolution, people had to learn to react specifically to this product, not least by learning to recognize its taste.
Dr. Lim adds: “I believe that for this reason people prefer complex carbohydrates. Sugar tastes good with a short-term effect, but if someone is offered chocolate or bread, then the person is likely to choose the latter product for everyday use."
The results of scientific work are published in the journal Chemical Senses.
